And So My Lies Became Your Life
by Kiyoko Usagi
Summary: Sasuke has been forced back to the village by 2 strange ninja and one that he never expected to see unless it was for a battle to the death. The secret that Itachi has kept from Sasuke for so long will finally be revealed. Is Sasuke ready for the truth?
1. United We Stand

Full Summary: Sasuke has been forced back to the village by 2 strange ninja and one that he never expected to see unless it was for a battle to the death. The secret that Itachi has kept from Sasuke for so long will finally be revealed. But is Itachi ready to tell Sasuke the truth? Can Sasuke even bear to hear it?

Warnings: Manga spoilers 399-402. Original Characters. Light M/M.

Will there be romance? Yes.

Will there be action? Kind of. I'm not a good action sequence writer.

Why am I writing this? For myself, for once. I wanted to write a story that gave further information on Itachi's life (because he's my boy)

If you enjoy listening to music to further emotions of storys listen to these songs that can easily be found on youtube.

"Man of the World" "Scene of Disaster" "Lonliness" (Shippuuden version) "Sadness and Sorrow" "Despair"

Most of these songs can be found by simply typing into the search bar "Sad Naruto Songs."

* * *

And So My Lies Became Your Life

Prologue

They are kept in secret because their powers are so strong. The three of them were a team, a team of geniuses; people with incredible powers that those who stood against them were brought down in only a matter of seconds. They were a team; w_ere_ a team. Now there is only two of them. Hidden behind secrets and lies; hidden behind masks and only able to walk outside when the moon is at its furthest away and the world is painted with shadows. The three of them were a team, so why were they not allowed to all leave as a team? Why was only one chosen? Why? The other two were just as strong! The other two were just as willing to go to lengths so far to protect their home! The other two thought of the other one as family! They weren't just a team! They were each other's lives! They were always looking out for one another. They were always there to put smiles on each other's faces. When one cried, they all cried. All for one and one for all. Why did it have to end like this? Why did the other have to go away? It wasn't fair. No, it wasn't fair at all.

--

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha with his hands shoved in his pockets. It had been so long, since he last saw his comrade. He allowed a painful smile to spread across his lips as he thought of the raven haired boy. The picture of Team 7 together fluttered into his mind; they were a team. Anger burned in his chest so fiercely that Naruto had to clench onto the necklace that Tsunade had given him. Orochimaru was going to transfer into Sasuke's body any day now! It was unbearable for Naruto to think of. He would not fail his friend, even though his friend didn't even care about him anymore, he would still bring him back, even if he had to drag him by his hair! Naruto turned down one final street and sighed as he looked up at his apartment's window. He hated being so alone. Once up in his one-room apartment he took his sandals off and fell onto his bed. Unconsciously, the blonde turned to look at the picture of his team. His…old team. Sai was Sasuke's replacement, and he was no match. Sasuke was even nicer than Sai! At least when Sasuke put Naruto down, Naruto could see a small smirk playing at the sides of his lips! When Sai put Naruto down, there was no emotion, it hurt like glass being shoved into the bottoms of Naruto's feet, the pain persisting to travel up from his feet and into his soul where it then could be felt piercing his entire body. Naruto was never good at receiving negative comments, even though by now he should be used to them. Naruto turned over in his bed and forced his eyes closed. He just wanted to forget everything for a while, even if he would be forced to remember it come morning.

--

Lady Tsunade walked down the corridors of the Hokage's mansion. She walked into a room that no one would have noticed if they did not already know it was there. The contents of that hidden room were simple; two beds, two night stands, one light and a bookcase. Scrolls and books were thrown about the room giving the small room a claustrophobic feeling and that feeling only increased because of the lack of windows the room possessed. Two figures gave their full attention to the Hokage as she walked in without knocking. "I need you two for a very special mission. I can't wait any longer. Orochimaru will need a new body soon and I cannot allow him to use Uchiha Sasuke's. You will locate their position and bring Sasuke back, dead or alive. And while you're there…kill Orochimaru as well. I can't allow him to live any longer." The two figures nodded and started to gather their things. They would be leaving when the night was still casting shadows upon the Earth.

A lone figure stood in the shadows. He saw two figures take off into the trees and decided to suppress all of his chakra and follow behind silently. It was not normal for these two to be sent out. They were the trump cards of Konoha. The figure reasoned that these two would only be sent out for something extremely important. The figure followed in silence, pondering on what mission these two could be going on. It was the night's darkest hour and the figure strained to see in the darkness. The other two figures were quickly fading out of sight. With a sigh, the lone figure gave up and moved at a slower pace, hoping that he would be able to catch up once the moon finally decided to show again.

Chapter 1- United We Stand

"I found it," said a male ninja. He wore his forehead protector on his arm. His auburn hair blew gently around his face as the wind caressed his soft features. He was beauty at its finest, with gentle cheekbones and a soft jaw line. He didn't look particularly strong, and he certainly didn't look very masculine, but when women were lucky enough to see him when he traveled, they always blushed and giggled as he walked by.

"Should we stay here and observe? Or jump right in?" a female ninja asked. Her looks were by far more breathtaking than most men ever got to see in their lives. It was a shame she was usually hidden from the world. Both these ninjas were never allowed to marry, or to even be seen in their own village of Konoha. What happened a long time ago still haunted the thoughts of the village and they could never show their faces again because of the rumors that spread. They wanted to aide their comrade in his mission, but were not allowed, however that didn't change the fact that the people believed that they did. They also thought that they ran off with him when he fled. No one noticed the female ANBU with the black bear mask. No one noticed the male ANBU with the black dragon mask. No one questioned their masks because no one ever really noticed an ANBU. Their faces were hidden behind usually white masks that looked like cats or other creatures, but when anyone saw the dragon mask or the bear mask, they didn't even question it. No one thought it was out of the ordinary, no one paid any attention; they were too busy with their own lives.

"I think we should scout the area first and look for an opening. Once we find our targets we'll strike. This'll be too easy." The male ninja disappeared from sight in the wind. The female ninja never seemed to get used to his strange abilities, even though they have been together since they were at the academy with their other comrade. A dull pain crawled out of the female ninja's heart and spread like acid through her veins. She winced and sighed heavily after the feeling went away. _'I wish you were still with us.'_ She moved silently from her position in the tree to another tree beside it. She would wait until her comrade gave the signal, the same signal they have used since they were genin.

--

_"What should our signal be!?" the auburn haired boy asked gleefully! This was their first mission together as a team and they wanted to create a signal no one could detect even if it was right in front of their faces. It was an ambush attack. They were instructed to spy on a group of bandits nearby Konoha. Their leader would be with them not too far off incase they needed help, but he figured they were very capable on their own. "I don't really care," said his male comrade. _

_"I know!" the girl said as she tucked a violet strand of hair behind her ear. "We can use this!" She produced a fox formed out of her chakra and molded it until it looked completely real. "When we're all ready to attack this fox will appear and run out in view. If it gets shot, it won't be a big deal because it'll run out of view before returning into chakra. However I'll need some of you two's chakra as well. This fox can connect us together and when we're all ready it'll create itself! My mom made this jutsu when she was our age! It's the only signal that has never been figured out!" The two boys placed some of their chakra into the fox and it disappeared._

_"Okay!" the auburn haired genin shouted happily. Their mission would be a success and the fox would work perfectly._

_--_

Sasuke finished his training with Orochimaru. Sweat glistened off his chiseled chest where is yukata was opened. Sasuke's muscles had grown considerably since he had left the village. He had grown taller too. He looked up at Orochimaru. The man's extremely pale face showed no indication of approval or the opposite. He was completely impassive. Sasuke stumbled over a fox that randomly shot by nearly shaking the boy out of his skin! He was used to being ambushed but the feeling of soft fur at his legs shocked him. Orochimaru laughed sickly. "Jumpy today are we Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke merely glared at the man. As they were about to enter into the hideout a kunai flew by Sasuke's head. The boy turned around showing no indication of fear. Orochimaru did the same. The ninja with the auburn hair mysteriously appeared from a gust of wind. Orochimaru's eyes widened with interest. He wondered who this boy was. The Sannin sized the boy up. He looked to be in his early twenties. His auburn hair hid one of his almond eyes from view. His hair was layered and it looked as if the boy was going for a styled "I-just-got-out-of-bed" look. He was lean and Orochimaru noticed the tattoo on one of his arms. It was the sign of Konoha's ANBU. Orochimaru laughed. He knew this ninja was not alone but didn't understand why the others would stay back; unless they were going to attack from the trees. Orochimaru tried to sense their chakra but found nothing. Either they were exceptionally skilled at controlling chakra or this boy _really_ was alone.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you have two options: die here, or come home with me." The ninja's voice was gently, like a calm stream. Sasuke felt his feet tingle, he wanted to go closer to that voice; he wanted to hear it again. Reason snapped Sasuke out of whatever trance he was under and held his ground.

"What makes you think I'm the one who is going to die?" Sasuke asked bitterly. Orochimaru smirked menacingly as he sensed Kabuto's presence hiding in the bushes. This boy really was alone!

"Sasuke, do not take me lightly, while you may have me outnumbered I'm stronger than all three of you at the same time." There was that smooth voice again. Sasuke had to swallow hard and bite into his tongue to focus on something else. He didn't want to hear that voice anymore! That voice was too pure, to silky, and far too dangerous. Sasuke noticed that the ninja had said three but he could only see two of them, that is, until Kabuto got out of his hiding place in the bush and stood next to Orochimaru. "Sasuke, your choice."

"I'm not going back!" With that, Sasuke made the hand signals that brought on his Chidori. He ran for the ninja but as he was about to force his hand into the ninja's chest he was suddenly gone! He simply had vanished.

"I see you've made your decision, Sasuke." With that, the auburn-haired ninja appeared once again, however something had changed. His voice was no longer soft and kind, it was deep and angry. Sasuke wanted to hide in fear and never come out. His sharingan activated eyes searched the area for the ninja but he could not find him.

"Sasuke! Above you!" Kabuto shouted. Sasuke looked up just in time to see a tree falling from the sky. A tree!? Sasuke dodged the tree only to come into direct contact with another one! The trunk was thick and Sasuke's breath was knocked right out of him. He gasped for air as he tried to push the tree off of him. Kabuto raced over to him and helped him push the tree off. Sasuke was finally able to breathe and wasted no time on thanking Kabuto, not that he really would have anyway. Sasuke looked around and finally, his eyes landed on the lone ninja, standing in the middle of the clearing.

"I'm going to show all of you why my village has kept me hidden in secret." The voice sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. He had never wanted to be in the arms of his mother so badly before. Before his very eyes, the ninja transformed from a lithe figure into a giant, black dragon with bright blue eyes. He however did not blow fire from his mouth, he shot water; extremely painful, high-pressure water.

"He's a wind-element most likely, but I haven't seen him do a single hand sign yet. Orochimaru-sama, we should get out of here now!" Kabuto said in a strained voice.

"Kabuto, he's going to kill my host. We have to stay and fight." Orochimaru bit into this thumb and made the hand signals for his summoning jutsu. A giant snake appeared in a cloud of smoke. The dragon's eyes pierced into the snake's glowing yellow ones. The dragon took off into flight and snatched the snake in its claws. It started to rain giant chunks of snake. Orochimaru made a discomforted sound and looked to Sasuke. The boy's eyes were widened in fear. He would never be able to defeat this opponent. The dragon landed not too far off from where he originally took off from and changed back into the form of the male ninja. "I have an idea. We can distract him with all the prisoners and make a run for it!" Kabuto vanished in a puff of smoke, most likely going down to release all the prisoners and test subjects, along with those who were already loyal to Orochimaru.

"Sasuke, it's a shame. I wish we could have been friends." Sasuke's eyes changed from fearful to confident. The male ninja noticed this sudden change in feeling and looked around. He was completely surrounded by extremely disfigured humans. Was it even right to still consider them human? There had to be at least five hundred of them. The ninja wondered how Orochimaru could hold this many people in one hideout. "I wouldn't try to do that if I were you," he warned. Sasuke's eyes shifted from the ninja to Orochimaru. The Sannin's eyes were apprehensive. He knew that statement was directed at him. "You see, I'm capable of obliterating each and every one of these people here, including you, Sasuke and your precious bodyguard with just the snap of my fingers." He formed his fingers into a snapping position. "As you can see, I need no hand signals. I use the wind around me to form them for me. That way my opponents cannot see what I intend on doing. This is actually a forbidden jutsu and no one has ever had enough chakra to successfully initiate it. But I can…" Orochimaru's eyes widened. He knew of this jutsu.

"Oblivion," Orochimaru stated. "I also know that this jutsu not only wipes out your opponents but it also destroys your body as well."

"You think I'm joking? Make a run for it, see how far you get."

"Chiyu!" The ninja's eyes widened. The voice was not of his female comrade's. It was deep, masculine and terrifyingly familiar. From the trees walked a man with black hair tied up in a low ponytail. He wore a long jacket with red clouds on it. His eyes were black as night and emotionless.

"Itachi?" the auburn haired ninja's voice was weak; vulnerable.

"If I remember correctly, I said that no one is allowed to hurt Sasuke or all of the village's secrets would somehow mysteriously be found out by all the other nations."

"I'm here on another Hokage's orders. Don't get in my way Itachi!" Sasuke didn't move. Part of him was scared shitless and the other was extremely curious. He looked to Orochimaru; his face was pleased. Sasuke noticed that Kabuto was no where to be found.

"You've grown, Chiyu-chan." Sasuke's eyes widened. _His_ brother…used "chan?" Who was this Chiyu to Itachi? Chiyu's defense faltered slightly at the sudden change of topic. But he stood his ground as quickly as he let it down.

"So've you."

"Chiyu, stop this."

"My orders are to retrieve Sasuke, dead or alive! If you didn't know, your little brother is a missing-nin and a traitor!"

"And what does that make me?" The sentence made Chiyu's resolve crumble.

"You didn't' have a choice." Sasuke's shifted from one foot to the other. He was anxious. He saw Itachi had no defenses up. He could strike! He looked over at Orochimaru. His face was still sickeningly pleased with the scenes that were playing out before him; he wasn't going to budge. Sasuke moved at speeds that blurred his body. He unleashed his cursed mark and almost landed a punch right in Itachi's stomach; however Chiyu moved quicker than Sasuke and had blocked the attack with what felt like iron. Sasuke looked to his fist, it was bleeding. He looked back at Chiyu and noticed that his arm was completely covered in black scales. Itachi's expression did not change. He stared at Sasuke completely void of anything. This angered Sasuke. He made hand signals and the chidori came to life on his arm. The sounds were louder than usual and he moved once again to strike at Itachi. This time however, Chiyu protected Itachi with his entire body. Sasuke watched in horror as Chiyu's body was engulfed in black scales. Upon impact with the ninja's body, Sasuke screamed out in pain. He heard a sickening cracking sound and looked at his arm. A piece of bone was sticking out. Tears formed and spilled over the side of his cheeks. He wanted the pain to end. It spread through his body like fire and pricked at his insides. His tears were no longer silent as he could no longer hold back the sobs that emitted from his mouth. He fell to his knees and cradled his broken arm.

"Sasuke, Chiyu is even stronger than me. I advise you to stop trying to attack me. He will always block your attacks and inflict damage upon your body. His scales are impenetrable. Nothing can get by them." Sasuke groaned in pain and anger. He wanted to rip his brother's throat out. He hated being treated like a child! Itachi was clearly mocking him, making the teenager burn with rage. Itachi turned his attention from Sasuke to Orochimaru. "You went after me and failed; now you go after my younger brother? What did you think I would do? Sit by and watch?" Sasuke turned to look at Orochimaru, noticing how the Snake-like man's eyes lit up with amusement.

"You seemed to be only doing that so far," Orochimaru said mockingly. Itachi's impassive eyes did not waver; their intensity could be felt against Orochimaru's skin. He felt like he was going to burst into flame.

"I did nothing because I could do nothing. Unlike Chiyu I'm not capable of going against over five hundred people. My attacks take up too much chakra and I could get no support from Akatsuki. They were too busy trying to collect the tailed-beasts." Orochimaru smiled evilly. He enjoyed hearing Itachi admit that he was not capable of defeating him alone. Sasuke looked up from where he had fallen. Itachi was standing in front of him. Why was he protecting him? He killed their clan! He hated Sasuke! He said the only reason he didn't kill Sasuke was because he wasn't even worth it! That was way more of an insult than anything Sasuke had ever said or heard! "That's changed now. Chiyu and Kaia are here with me now. We can kill you and all of your…pets." Orochimaru's eyes grew smaller into slits as he glared, making him look more like a snake than before. Chiyu transformed into a dragon and began shooting water beams at Orochimaru's experiments. Sasuke watching in horror as each one burst into chunks of body pieces, apparently his water beams were much stronger than the one he shot at him. Sasuke reasoned that Chiyu really didn't want to kill the raven haired boy. Orochimaru summoned another snake and stood on its head as he preformed various jutsu only to be displeased as Itachi blocked each and every one of them. Kaia summoned three large animals: a black bear, a black panther and a red fox. They were larger than any "normal" animal Sasuke had ever seen. Itachi picked up Sasuke in his arms and headed for the trees. It was strange. Sasuke saw Orochimaru's followers try to attack them, but there was something surrounding them that didn't allow for anyone to touch them. Sasuke looked up into his brother's eyes, noticing that they weren't emotionless, they held worry. Sasuke became more confused but soon passed out because the pain had become quite unbearable.

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Reviews are loved.


	2. Divided We Grow

Full Summary: Sasuke has been forced back to the village by 2 strange ninja and one that he never expected to see unless it was for a battle to the death. The secret that Itachi has kept from Sasuke for so long will finally be revealed. But is Itachi ready to tell Sasuke the truth? Can Sasuke even bear to hear it?

Warnings: Manga spoilers 399-402. Original Characters. Light M/M.

* * *

Chapter 2

Naruto was walking back from the training field when he noticed large crowds gathered around the various buildings of Konoha. There wasn't a parade or a festival, why were so many people outside? Naruto was finally close enough to listen to what the people were saying. Their voices were panicked and worried. "Did you hear…Itachi…back…strange ANBU…dragon…Sasuke…" Naruto's eyes widened and he broke out into a run for the Hokage's office. Once he got to the mansion two guards stopped him outside.

"Hold on there bud!"

"Yeah, Hokage-sama is busy!"

"But everyone's talking about Sasuke! Is he back?!" The two guards looked to each other in surprise. They sighed in defeat.

"Well, we were supposed to keep this from you, but apparently with such a public way to enter the village, the two ANBU sent out to retrieve him came back with him _and_ Itachi!"

"They walked proudly through the main street up to here!"

"Sasuke's in the hospital. No one's allowed to see him until Lady Tsunade figures out what to do with him."

"What!!!???" Naruto yelled. The two guards were taken aback by the sudden burst of sound.

"Well, he did betray the village."

"I don't care! He's still my friend!" Naruto turned on his heels and ran as fast as he could in the direction of the hospital. The back of his collar was grabbed and he was pulled back into an alleyway. Anger coursed though his body until he saw Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sai and Yamato.

"Slow down there!" Kakashi said smiling.

"We all want to see him too; well at least Kakashi-sensei and I want to," Sakura said with a small blush creeping up her cheeks.

"I'm curious about him," Sai stated. Yamato just smiled nervously.

"Then why are we hiding in an alley?!" Naruto questioned loudly.

"Quiet!" Kakashi said. "We're not hiding in the alley, we're just gathered here. I pulled these two back here as I saw them running for the hospital." Kakashi motioned to Sakura and Sai. "Yamato was already with me." Naruto looked from Kakashi to Yamato suspiciously, but said nothing on the subject. He figured they were talking about something that didn't interest Naruto one bit, after all Kakashi enjoyed those porn books way to much to even be considered slightly gay.

"Well we're all here now! Let's go!" Naruto turned around and started for the hospital only to be pulled back again. "What!?"

"They have ANBU stationed outside the hospital. No one is allowed inside except if they have family in there and when they're allowed in, they're escorted to their family member's room. The Hokage is taking this very seriously."

"We were his team though! Sakura-chan! Can't you convince her to let us see him!" Sakura shrugged.

"She's really busy at the moment. Apparently she learned something big."

"Great…now I wanna know!" Naruto whined. Kakashi rolled his eyes. He thought Naruto was maturing, but he started having second thoughts.

"We can wait outside the Hokage's mansion to be seen by her. It may take a while, but I don't think we have any other choice."

* * *

"I knew you three were all on the same team but I did not know about this mission!" Tsunade said as she re-read the details about a top secret mission that had been given to Itachi long ago. "Itachi, I don't even know what to say! You…you're a hero!" Itachi didn't even blink. He continued to stare impassively at Tsunade. The weight of his stare made the Hokage uncomfortable. "I'll need to tell the village about this!"

"No," Itachi stated. Chiyu and Kaia both turned to look at him with wide eyes. "If they find out the truth, Sasuke will be mistreated. They will associate him with the others because of his desertion. You cannot tell them."

"But if I don't tell them, you're still a villain to them."

"That's the part I have to play."

"It's not fair! They forced you to ruin your life! The least I can do is allow you to come back home as a hero!"

"I'm no hero."

"Yes you are Itachi," Chiyu's voice was sweet, like sugar. That voice was the only voice in the world that could make Itachi feel happy. "You saved the entire village from your clan. That must have been the hardest thing in the world to do. And you did it because you love Konoha."

"I'm no hero. I wish to be treated as you would have treated me if you had not known about this mission."

"What!? No!" Chiyu protested.

"That's not fair!" Kaia yelled.

"It's what must be done. Even you know it Lady Tsunade. In order to clear my brother's name, you have to."

"You know you will be put to death," Tsunade said weakly. She didn't want this. She could explain to the village what really happened. They would understand! She could make sure they knew that Sasuke was too young at the time to even be told that the Uchiha were planning a coup d'état. However, she knew that the village would always hold some fear of the man that stood before her; she knew that the village would think that they would try to join forces with an enemy nation to try to finish what their clan started. She sighed sadly. People were always so suspicious of each other. There was hardly any room for love.

"I know." Itachi's voice was distant.

"Itachi, I really don't want to do this," she said weakly.

"This mission has to die with me. It's the only way."

"Sasuke will be angry."

"Don't tell him."

"Don't tell him?" Chiyu spat. "We said too much in front of him when we killed Orochimaru! He'd try to beat it out of me and Kaia!"

"You both are strong enough to withstand him."

"No, I refuse! You did so much good for this village!" Chiyu's eyes started to water. "You risked _everything_ for it! You gave up _everything_ for it! I'm not allowing you to be killed by the village you sacrificed everything for!" Itachi didn't respond. He merely looked at his former teammate with stone eyes. Chiyu's body shook with anger. "You…you were gone…we wanted to help you…we could have you know!...We could have…done this…together." Tears spilled down the ninja's cheeks. "We love you Itachi! Don't you fucking leave us again! We were so worried about you! We heard about your clan and what you had done! We…we didn't understand…we were so lost. Until…until the Third told us what really went on…we were so upset that you didn't confide in us! We're your team!"

"Were." Chiyu's eyes widened in shock. That one word bit into his skin so painfully that he wished he would have been killed by it. He looked away defeated. Kaia saw the pain etched into her comrade's face.

"Itachi, let's run away, the three of us. Let's go to a town far away where no one knows us and live like normal people and not like ninja. That way, the mission would still be a secret and no one would have to die." Itachi didn't respond. He wasn't expecting his old team to be so persistent. But then again…he should have, after that day…

_The rain was pouring down like a rushing river. Itachi's body shook from the cold. They had just become ANBU. The mission wasn't simple. They had assassinated a military leader of an opposing nation's army. Now that entire army was after the three of them. They sat in a cave huddled by a fire. Itachi was angry at himself. If it weren't for him their mission would have been a complete success. But he couldn't jump high enough, or fast enough, unlike Chiyu, who could fly and Kaia, who rode her panther to escape. Itachi didn't have any summoning jutsu or transformation jutsu. All he had were his stupid eyes! A guard from their army spotted Itachi climbing a fence to get out of the camp. The guard had some kind of jutsu that allowed for him to see clearly in the dark. He saw Itachi's headband and got a good look at him. The entire army knew that their commander was assassinated by someone from Konoha, and it was all Itachi's fault. "Cheer up buttercup!" Chiyu said as he scooted closer to his comrade. Itachi's face didn't change. Kaia looked at him from across the fire and tried to smile at him reassuringly, however her efforts never reached his eyes. He wouldn't look away from the fire. "We didn't plan this one out too well did we?" Chiyu continued on. "Maybe next time we'll make sure you've got a good escape vehicle too!" _

_"We can't go back now," Itachi said. _

_"We can soon enough," Kaia reassured. "As soon as either the peace talks are completed or one army surrenders to the other. It'll be okay Ita-chan." That was Kaia's nickname for her friend and teammate. He was always so serious and when she said that for the first time, he blushed like crazy. It didn't have the same effect as it had when she first used it, but it always seemed to bring a smile, however small, to the Uchiha's lips. As the three of them pulled out their bedrolls and got ready for bed, Chiyu placed his unbreakable protection "shield" over the entrance to the cave. They were deep enough inside that no one could tell someone was even in there, but they weren't taking chances. Chiyu's absolute defense system didn't stop with just the scales on his body, he was able to create wind barriers that would knock anyone back if they tried to walk into the entrance of the cave. The wind formed an invisible shield. Kaia had settled into bed and was sleeping soundly, she had been exhausted from a day of running and fighting any of the enemy's ninja. Itachi was sitting on his bedroll, with that look of disappointment on his face. Chiyu came back into the area they set up camp and smiled softly at his friend. He sat down next to him on his bedroll and didn't speak for a moment as he watched the fire dance. _

_"I'd die for you, you know?" Chiyu said. Itachi looked over at him in surprise. "You're the only thing in my life that gives it meaning. I'm glad you messed up, because if you hadn't, we'd be back in Konoha, and we wouldn't be together right now. Don't try to push me away with your pouting and emotionless faces. I can see right through them you know. I know when you're sad or when you're happy, I can tell when you're angry or scared. So don't even try to push me away. I love you, and you're going to have to give up and give in. Because I'm never leaving your side."_

Itachi didn't say anything; he looked over to Chiyu who smiled at him happily. Chiyu read that seemingly emotionless face as if Itachi had blurted out what he was truly feeling. "He can hide with us can't he?" Tsunade took this into consideration. She could announce to the village that Itachi had been sentenced to death but she could easily place him in ANBU.

"Itachi, is that what you want?" she asked. Itachi nodded. She smiled with relief. "Itachi, from here on out you will be with ANBU once again; however you'll be on the special forces. You will be assigned a special mask, like Chiyu and Kaia. Do you have a special animal in mind?" Itachi thought for a moment.

"A crow."

"You are only allowed out at night when most of everyone is in bed asleep. You can not talk to other villagers or ever get married in this village is that clear? You are dead to this village." Itachi nodded in acceptance. "Very well then. Welcome back Itachi."

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth outside of the Hokage's mansion. He wanted to march right up in there and demand to see Sasuke. Kakashi followed Naruto's movements with his exposed eye, he was mildly entertained by the blonde's impatience. "Kakashi-senpai, Tsunade-sama will now see you." Naruto bolted into the tower and ran up the stairs. Kakashi sighed and made his way into the Hokage's tower. "Sasuke! Why aren't you allowing anyone to see Sasuke?!" Naruto demanded. Kakashi rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. That was no way to talk to Lady Tsunade if you valued your life. Tsunade smiled at Naruto and stood up. Everyone remained silent.

"Because this is a very delicate situation, I have not allowed anyone to speak with him until Ibiki has had a thorough examination with him."

"You're torturing Sasuke!?" Naruto shouted. Sakura bit her lip, she hoped it wasn't true!

"No, he's merely speaking to him. I just want to know all of what Sasuke has learned and if he has no allegiances with Orochimaru."

"What are you going to do with him Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked. Tsunade didn't respond. She sighed and turned around to look out the window.

"I don't know. If you didn't know, I had sent out two ANBU to infiltrate Orochimaru's hideout and retrieve Sasuke, however, someone else showed up to protect Sasuke." Everyone held their breath in anticipation. "Uchiha Itachi."

"What! But, I thought he hated Sasuke!?" Sakura said a pitch a little too high for comfort.

"I said this was a very delicate situation Sakura. Apparently he doesn't hate him and he never has."

"What will be done with Itachi?" Kakashi asked.

"Death sentence. As soon as possible." Tsunade lied. Everyone believed her though, and no one seemed to want to protest that one.

"Can we go see Sasuke now?" Naruto wined. Tsunade chuckled and turned back to face everyone.

"Why not. Take this with you. It states that I've given my permission for you to see him." Naruto snatched the paper out of Tsunade's hands. He persisted in running down the stairs and over to the hospital where he then had to wait impatiently for everyone to get there. Once everyone was gathered, Naruto handed over the note and the ANBU guards allowed them all inside. One ANBU wearing a white cat mask escorted them to Sasuke's room, where two ANBU were stationed outside of it. Naruto walked calmly inside first, followed by Sakura and then everyone else. Sasuke was staring at the wall. His arm was bandaged up and he had a brace on that kept his bandaged arm resting in front of his chest.

"Sasuke?" Naruto spoke. Sasuke looked over at his former comrades, but turned away in shame. He hated to have them see him like this. "Sasuke! We were so worried about you!" Naruto and Sakura threw their arms around the raven haired boy, but were careful as to not hit his broken arm.

"Why? I left you didn't I?" Sasuke spat.

"But we understand and everything's okay now! Itachi is sentenced to death any time now!" Sakura said happily. "You won't have to worry about killing him anymore! Konoha is going to avenge all the Uchihas' deaths for you!" Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. That wasn't what he wanted anymore! He had questions! Questions that burned with desire for answers. He tried to get up, but Sakura gently pushed him back down. "I'm a lot stronger since you saw me last time. Careful Sasuke. We understand that you wanted to be the one that killed Itachi but he's too strong. Let someone else do it for you."

"No!" Sasuke screamed. "I need him to answer my questions! I need to see him!" Everyone noticed the panic in the boy's voice. "Please! I've got to see him!" Sasuke tried once again to get out of Sakura's grip, but she was a lot stronger since last time. Kakashi noticed something different in the boy's eyes. They weren't emotionless, they held confusion and fear. What had happened when those two ANBU went to retrieve him? "Sakura please let me go see him! You don't understand! None of you understand! Get off me!" Sasuke managed to get out from under Sakura's grip. He jumped out the window before any of them could catch him. Just as quickly as he had jumped he was being forced back by an ANBU, who then handcuffed his good hand to the bedside railing. Sasuke looked broken and hopeless. Naruto noticed the lack of hate energy that usually emitted off of the onyx eyed boy. It was strange to Naruto. "Please…" Sasuke said barely above a whisper. "I need to see him."

* * *

Reviews are nice and not creepy in any way shape or form. :P


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